The Essence of Normality
by Wind Spark
Summary: We've defeated the Edison Group, but now what? No problems? Yeah, right. I still raise bodies in my sleep. . . There are definitely still problems, but with more than 300 miles between us, we just can't face them together anymore.
1. Back Home

Hey! Since everyone else seemed to be doing The Reckoning or Ten Years Later. . . I wanted to do something different. So this story is about right after The Reckoning, how they deal with going back to normal after the Edison Group has been defeated. Just a small idea that turned into a story. Please enjoy!

Also, many thanks to Fledgling for Betaing, and for all the help with this chapter. Without it, I'd probably still be staring at that blinking vertical bar on a blank screen.

Disclaimer: I don't own Darkest Powers. Believe me, I really wish I did, especially since I'm about broke right now. But all rights go to Kelley Armstrong, that lucky woman.

* * *

_As if things couldn't get any worse._

_The two men led me away from Dr. Davidoff's office, down the long white halls, presumably to my "cell." They were big, and refused to look at me, so I tried to ignore their iron grips on my shoulders._

_Just why was I being held captive yet again? Simon, Derek, Tori, and I had been ambushed, and this time, caught. The Edison Group was getting a little annoyed with us. So they sent about thirty men with guns that shot both tranquilizers and bullets, who surrounded the "safe house", and happily told everyone to come out or they would kill us all. Not much of a choice, was there? _

_Everyone but me had been shot with tranquilizers. It seemed that they didn't want me accidentally raising the dead. After the six hour trip they took me to Dr. Davidoff's office. Apparently Rae had asked them to try and convince me to cooperate. Sadly, after being shot at on his orders, I no longer enjoyed being in his presence. It didn't go well. Basically, if we didn't do what he said, we would die. And that was that._

_The men took me down a short, badly lighted hall, to a thick, grey steel door at the end. Very Great Escape like. I was tired, and it wasn't helping my sarcasm. Neither was the fact that while I was fairly sure Tori and Simon would be fine for now, there was no one to intervene for Derek. If they thought he was to dangerous too be kept alive. . . I swallowed and tried to quell the rising fear. _

_They unlocked the door and pushed me in. _

_The room itself was a far cry from the polished, hotel like place I'd been locked in before. There were still beds, four of them, a light hanging from the ceiling, and a door that presumably led to a bathroom. But the beds were basically cots, covered with only a thin blanket, and the walls and floor were bare concrete._

_Tori and Simon were still dead to the world, spread out unconscious on the beds. I would have checked for a pulse if I hadn't heard them snoring._

_But I only took a moment to look at the room, at Tori and Simon, because Derek was awake. And he was crouching in the corner of the room, his clothes piled next to him, struggling to breathe as he Changed._

_It was going much faster than before. Fur had already sprouted on his back, growing ever longer as I watched, his face had changed, narrowing, and his hands. . . His hands._

_I rushed over to him. _

_"Derek? Derek!"_

_He lifted his head slightly, but then convulsed, his head flying down as his back shot up. He vomited, and it hit the wall in front of him, the smell making me gag slightly._

_As the spasms stopped for a moment I reached forward and turned his head to face me. His green eyes were glazed over with pain and fear, and he looked right through me._

_"Derek!"_

_He focused, shaking his head slightly. There was confusion in his eyes, and relief as he finally saw me._

_"Chloe?"_

_I smiled slightly, not even knowing why, just that I needed him to calm down enough to listen._

_"Can you do something please? Just unclench your hands for a second. Please."_

_He looked down. Every other time he had tried to Change we had been outside. He had dug his fingers into the earth, as if that offered some kind of relief. But the floor was solid concrete, so he had clenched his hands into fists instead. Which would have been fine if his fingers weren't sprouting claws at the moment. . ._

_He opened his hands and I grimaced. In the center of his palms, his claws had dug in, leaving small, bloody holes in his hands. I leaped up to get a blanket to stop the bleeding. Derek grabbed my hand, and I saw the terror in his eyes as he looked up at me. For once, he wasn't telling me to go._

_I knelt down again beside him and gripped his hand in mine, rubbing his shoulders lightly with the other._

_His head dropped, and the changes continued, his fur growing, his muscles and bones moving as he whimpered in pain. _

_And then, with a final crackling of bones, it ended. And Derek shuddered under my fingers, a wolf. A huge, beautiful, black wolf with glowing green eyes. It was surreal._

_He stood shakily, and looked at me. I couldn't exactly determine what the look on his. . . face. . . was, as the fact that he was a wolf made it difficult. It occurred to me that I was in shock. Hmm._

_He glanced away and I recognized the expression. He was nervous, maybe a bit uncomfortable with me being here, seeing him like this. I realized I was staring._

_I couldn't help it. I ran my fingers through his fur, feeling the soft, thick, hair on his back. He looked a bit startled, but the nervous expression was gone. _

_Then he yawned. It was a long yawn, ending in a slight whine that was just so dog-like he started in surprise. I laughed and he gave me "The Look." _

_Suddenly, I yawned, too and I swear he smirked. I was exhausted. I hadn't slept at all during the trip here, and aside from that first peaceful night at the safe house, I hadn't been sleeping well. So I was tired. Very, very tired. And cold. The concrete floors and walls were keeping all the heat out, and I didn't see a vent or heater. It was almost as cold as it would have been outside, and I was shivering even as my eyelids drooped. _

_Derek yawned again, then he walked round me, settling down, and curled around me, so that his back was to the wall, shielding me from the cold concrete. He put his head on his paws. It seemed like he wasn't looking at me directly, as though he was a bit unsure, but I didn't pay any attention. He was warm and soft, and I was tired. I leaned back against him, almost unconsciously letting my arm settle around his shoulders. I closed my eyes and fell asleep. . . _

~W~S~

I woke up, but I didn't open my eyes. For a little while, all I did was lie there, kind of pretending that I was still in the cell, that the overstuffed pillow behind me was Derek. I couldn't go back to sleep, so why not? The dream had actually been a memory, one of the dreams I most frequently had when I went to sleep thinking about Derek. Which was very often. It seemed like I was almost always thinking about him, Simon, Tori, Rae, anything from my other life. Now that I was back home everything was so different it made me nervous.

I relaxed for a bit longer, then I sat up, pushing away the sheets and blankets. I rubbed my eyes and looked over at my alarm clock. 5:49. Enough time to check my email. I turned on the power, and logged into my email account, User ID: moviegirl09, password: necromancer.

_You have three new messages._

The first was a coupon ad. _Delete. _

The second was from Tori, or "Witch666." Subject: Freakin, _-bleep-, School._

The following rant was filled with numerous swear words and inventive curses. I almost regretted giving her my address.

**"-but Dad won't let me get the new purse, cause he says I spend too much money on clothes let alone accessories, so I need to get a job. Yeah, right. I take pride in being a b**ch, so I won't be taking anyone's order for a triple cheeseburger and two fries, thanks very much you pig. By the way, how's Derek doing with his job hunt? Simon flat out refused to give me his d*** address, like I would want the f***ing thing anyway, but I'm curious about what job Frankenstein got. No way I can picture him behind a counter either. He's more like one of those enforcer people in the Mafia or something. We're good for the weekend right? Sounds like amazing fun, spending two whole days at the guys' house. I'm being sarcastic. They can both drop dead, though their dad isn't to bad."**

With this wonderful comment, Tori ended her message. I grinned. She didn't mean half of it, and I knew she was really excited about the weekend, mainly because Liz would be coming with me. Speaking of Liz, I looked around, wondering where she was. Probably watching the sunrise, or flitting through the park near our house.

The last message was from Simon, "TheRealHarryPotter."

**"Hi again, Chloe! I can't wait 4 the weekend. Derek's excited 2 but he's not showing it. Dad and I can tell though. 4 the last time he's fine and I will tell you when he Changes again. That job idea of Dad's worked! The principal said it would be fine for him to tutor the other kids because of his "special circumstances." 8 people already signed up for tutoring. He's pretty miserable at school now cause of the girls. Since his acne and stuff improved they pay him a lot more attention, and he's terrified 2 walk down the school halls. :-)**** So funny. I can't even describe it. (See below.) Most of the kids he's going to tutor are girls. He has his first student later today so I'll tell you what happened when he gets back. Can't wait for the weekend! Tell Tori I hope she catches the flu on Friday."**

Below the message was a link. I clicked, and a picture filled the screen. It was one of Simon's sketches, a bit rough, not fully done, but still amazing. Derek ran down the halls of a school at breakneck speed, clutching his books, paper flying, a look of sheer panic on his face as he was chased by three laughing girls with hearts for eyes. I laughed and saved the picture before deleting the message. I would reply to them both later after school, but now I had to get ready.

I grabbed my clothes and walked down the hall to the bathroom, passing Aunt Lauren's room on the way. Once Simon and Tori had woken up after we had been captured, we had managed to get out. After that, it was almost too simple. Tori had gone first with Simon, using knock-back spells on all the guards until we found a computer. I still can't believe how quickly she hacked it. We sent a message to Andrew, then spent the time waiting for him looking for information. We'd found the location of Aunt Lauren and Mr. Bae, and since it happened to be just down the hall, we'd broken them out. When we got there, they were having a furious discussion about werewolves. It was kind of funny when you thought about it, since Derek was still in wolf form. We'd all insisted that he go first. To her eternal emberassment, since Mr. Bae would never let her forget it, Aunt Lauren had jumped on a chair and called for help. We stood behind the door, silently laughing during what could have been an incredibly dangerous situation. Mr. Bae quieted her down really quickly though, because he knew it was Derek, even though he was a wolf. After Andrew and his friends had arrived, Aunt Lauren had come with me to see Dad, and she had been living with us since. It was wonderful, but a bit annoying because she didn't want me to have anything to do with Derek. And now that I'd kissed him, it was a little too late for that.

As I showered I thought about Rae. She'd escaped with us, but she'd been so depressed after learning about how evil the Edison Group was that I didn't know what she would do. The information on the computers had shown that Rae's mother, Jacinda, had been murdered years ago. She hadn't been working for the Edison Group, and she had loved Rae, but it was too late. I had insisted on giving her my phone number and email address, but she hadn't yet contacted me. The day after we had defeated the Edison Group Andrew had driven her to an airport, bought her a plane ticket, and she had flown back to her parents. In a way, I guessed she was happy to be going home, but all the oppronunities that the Edison Group had offered her, the chance to be special, were now gone.

By the time I got out of the bathroom Aunt Lauren was awake. Bread, bacon, and eggs sat out on the counter, ready to be cooked. Aunt Lauren was drinking coffee as she read the morning paper in her bathrobe. Maybe _reading_ wasn't the right word. She was sort of squinting at it between sips of coffee, looking like she was trying to open her eyes, and shooting glares at my dad's bedroom door every few seconds. We could hear him snoring, and Aunt Lauren had an early shift at the hospital. She was not a morning person.

"Good morning, Aunt Lauren."

She muttered something that sounded like a hi.

I popped some bread into the toaster and got out my cereal.

As I sat down Liz walked through the wall. She was her usual chipper self, grinning, obviously happy about something. Liz had decided to stay with me instead of moving on. She said she wasn't ready to go yet. When I'd asked her when she would be ready, she'd just shrugged and said that she would know. Some of Andrew's friends would help her whenever she wanted.

"Hi Chloe! Did you know that your aunt always trips over that third step in the morning? It's weird; she never misses it coming home. Maybe you should help her, tell her about it every morning or something. Those eggs I told you about in the park hatched! The babies are kind of ugly, but it's just so cool to be able to see them up close I didn't really care. Did you know that-"

"Liz!" I interrupted her. "Slow down. I can really think straight at 6:30 in the morning. Are you excited about the weekend?"

She nodded excitedly. "It'll be so cool seeing Tori and the guys again! I mean, I know I could see them anytime I wanted, but then they couldn't see me, which is kind of weird, especially with the guys, not really with Tori, but Derek does some seriously complicated math, and I don't really like sports all that much, so Simon is almost as boring as Derek. I mean, Derek's fine to talk to or something, if you can get him to talk, and I don't mean that he isn't a nice guy or anything, which he is obviously, but I just forgot that you two-" She stopped herself, looking thoroughly embarrassed.

I laughed. "It's fine Liz, I know Derek isn't that friendly with most people."

She grinned with relief. "Anyway, you know that kid at school who keeps giving you those funny looks? I followed him and guess were he lives? His parents have this tattoo shop and they go to completely terrible rock concerts, and. . ."

I stopped listening for a bit. Through the whole thing Aunt Lauren hadn't even looked up. By now she was used to my conversations with people she couldn't see, and was too tired to care anyway. When we got home to my dad he had been shocked and overjoyed and had immedeatly called off the manhunt for me. Everyone wanted to know what had happened, but Dad had only given a comment saying that I hadn't been kidnapped in the first place, and that I was fine. We had to tell him everything. He was really surprised, but after Liz lifted a few things, he was cool. Now he worked on the computer from our new home, a small house on the outskirts of the city that was really pretty and had a small wood out back, which would be useful for Derek whenever he and Simon visited. Dad and I spent a lot more time together now, watching movies, playing cards and board games with Aunt Lauren, or just talking. In the past two weeks I'd learned more about him then I had known all my life.

". . .and that girl from my school, Tiffany, has all these rings, maybe a hundred I think, and she wears one every day of the week except Sunday, cause her parents have this rule or something, and all the ones she doesn't wear she keeps on this big string, which is kinda weird, but-" A car horn cut her off. I glanced at my watch. Oh, darn! I rushed towards the door, then skidded to a stop. "Are you coming with me today, Liz?"She gagged. "You have an Algebra test today, in case you forgot. No thank you. I'm going to the beach, check out all the guys skipping class. Bye!"

"Okay." I ran through the door as the cab horn blasted again. Even after all that had happened, some things never changed. I opened the door and slid in.

"Good morning, Milos." He nodded to me from the front seat, but didn't say anything. He was just recovering from laryngitis so he couldn't talk. We took off.

I had wanted to continue at A. R. Gurney, and even though Aunt Lauren had warned me that everyone would be asking me questions about what had happened, there was no way I was starting over at another school. No way. It had actually been better than I'd expected. The other kids had asked questions of course, but all of the teachers told them to leave me alone. The only people I had actually had to explain things to were Kari, Beth, and Miranda. The story we had planned to give out was that I'd simply decided I wanted some time away from home, and that some guys I had met thought that would be fun. All of the drama about Lyle House had been forgotten after the news that I had possibly been kidnapped, so I didn't have to explain the whole, running-throught-the-halls-screaming, part. Andrew's friends had been able to get some very real looking documents from Lyle House for the teachers, telling them that I had no problems and that any difficulties I'd experienced were the results of hormones and stress. All very realistic, and they hadn't questioned it.

As the city wizzed by, getting closer and closer to school, my thoughts automatically turned to Derek. We had discovered from the Edison Group's files that they considered Derek a failure, not only because they couldn't control him, but because he didn't seem to be different from any other werewolves. After that first completed Change at the Edison Group headquarters, he had turned back to human that night at the safe house. Simon had been too tired, and I couldn't stay with him, so Mr. Bae had been with Derek when he Changed back. It was great to finally meet Derek and Simon's dad, and I could tell just by looking at the way that Derek acted, that he was really cared about his dad. I also noticed that Mr. Bae had a private talk with Andrew, and that also seemed to help with the way he treated Derek.

The next night Derek had Changed again. It was just as terrible and painful as the last time, but he had stayed a full wolf for nearly eight hours, getting used to the different experiences of being a wolf and getting used to his new shape. He spent almost half the time running. He seemed much happier as a wolf, and it was almost funny to watch him racing throught the trees. That night I was feeling a bit reckless, maybe even desperate. Aunt Lauren had told me the day before that we were leaving soon. I'd kissed him right before he Changed. And he kissed me. It was more wonderful then I could have imagined. My first kiss. I didn't think of him as my boyfriend really, but I knew that he was much more than a friend. Much, much more. Two weeks ago we had said goodbye. We planned to get together soon, spending the weekend with Derek, Simon, and Mr. Bae. Tori lived six hours away now, having moved with her dad, who hadn't known anything about the Edison Group, as it turned out. A lot of her emails had to do with her sister. Derek and Simon lived four hours away, so we were all too far away for anything more than weekend visits. And we were all really excited about it.

We pulled up at the school and I got out. It was time for me to go back to normal, and even though in the past month I'd often desperately wished for normal, now all I could think about was the weekend, the time to be my other normal. My other, secret part. I walked throught the doors into the school and sighed. Normal.

* * *

Two weeks for update!


	2. Getting Along With Your Fellow Sorcerer

Chapter Two is here people! Thanks so much for your enthusiasm. I'm really glad you liked it!

Thanks again to Fledgling for putting up with my endless questions. I think she must spend hours in front of the screen answering. I'm sorry if I'm keeping you up for hours, but I'm so grateful!

* * *

Meeting new people, for Simon, was fun. Meeting seven teenage sorcerers was proving to be interesting.

When Dad had first proposed the idea of meeting other sorcerers Simon had been extremely excited. Even more so than usual. It would be fun. Somehow he had imagined a group of happy guys sharing pizza and talking about the latest spells they had tried. But this group of boys seemed resentful of their parents for not joining a cabal (groups of rich and somewhat power hungry sorcerers), and spent most of the time moaning about how all the other sorcerers got to do all the fun stuff. They didn't seem to care that the cabals had been killing witches for the past six centuries, or that the Edison Group had been financially supported by one of the cabals, though it was still unclear which one it had been. What they did care about was that the cabals were rich and powerful, and they seemed to really like the rich part.

Jeff stared at Simon. His father was the manager of a steel mill, and his mother worked from home for an advertising company. "So your dad's a lawyer?"

"Yeah," Simon answered, wishing they could get off the subject of What-My-Parents-Do-And-How-Much-They-Earn.

"And what about your mom?" asked Gregory, a small boy with glasses whose parents owned a computer software shipping company. But he had assured them all that he would not be going into his parent's field of work. No, he was going to be a judge on the Supreme Court. Most of the boys seemed to be very determined to be successful in life, and were already working on some kind of college degree. Simon had a feeling his dad had done this on purpose.

"She left when I was two."

"Oh." Gregory blushed and stared down at his food.

The restaurant was small and overcrowded, but the food was reasonably priced and tasted good. All Simon had to do was remember not to look at Hank, who seemed to have never heard of manners in his life, and was eating as messily as possible. Simon had to keep stopping himself from asking the guy to close his mouth. He doubted it would have made a difference anyway.

Tom and Vince, sitting on either side of Hank, looked like they dearly wished to somewhere else. Vince was turning an interesting shade of green. Hank and his friend Randy, who was sitting across from him, were the only ones who didn't seem interested in school or work. They both said that they were going to, "be on some football team or something," as soon as they got out of school. But you never know. They might just drop out if they didn't pass their math finals, which Simon thought was a very good possibility. But he didn't say anything. The guys were both huge.

The last boy, Kevin, wasn't too bad, Simon decided. He was nice enough, didn't eat like a monkey, and so far, hadn't asked any weird questions. The others were all curious, he could tell, but they didn't want to offend him or anything. He had a feeling though that as soon as Hank and Randy had finished eating they would start talking. Most likely about Derek.

And he wasn't disappointed.

"So what's it like? Living with a dog." Randy swallowed his last mouthful.

Simon tried to keep his temper in check. He'd been working on that ever since Derek had broken that kid's back, but he wasn't sure if he was succeeding. The smart comments just kept slipping out.

"I don't know. We don't have a dog."

Gregory gave a nervous laugh, then seemed to be questioning his actions.

"You know what he's talking about," Hank said, glaring. Simon thought Hank acted more like a werewolf than Derek.

"That wolf at your house that looks like a teenager." Hank continued. "_Derek_. I think that's what he's called." He didn't seem to care if he got the name right.

Simon glared, unable to help it. "I suppose you think he lives in a dog house in our back yard or something."

Randy nodded, ignoring Simon's wrathful look completely. "I wouldn't be surprised," he said.

"But what about the full moon? Do you have to tie him up so he doesn't eat people or anything?" Hank looked genuinely interested.

Simon couldn't believe how dull the boy was. He decided to have some fun. "Yeah," he nodded sadly. "But last time he broke his chain. Some poor guy was taking a midnight walk, just innocently minding his own business, and then . . ." Simon shook his head, doing his best to look depressed. "We couldn't tell if it had been a girl or a boy, so we just texted the police department the address, and dragged Derek home. It was way more fun than usual."

Randy and Hank were staring with wide eyes. They hadn't expected this. Tom and Vince stomachs had finally decided to give way, and the two boys scrambled over the table in their mad dash for the bathroom. Gregory was sweating nervously, and Jeff was chocking on his soda. Kevin thumped him on the back, struggling to hold in his laughter. He grinned over at Simon, then turned to the others. "You guys are way too gullible. Werewolves don't even Change during the full moon."

"That's right, Kevin. And don't worry. Dad and I can usually control him. Most of the time. Well, you guys will get to meet him soon enough. Andrew is picking him up on the way here."

This caused Gregory and Jeff to bolt. Vince and Tom had come out of the bathroom and didn't even pause before heading for the door. They still looked slightly sick. Randy and Hank looked at each other, trying to decide if Simon was bluffing or not. They decided not to risk it, and grabbed the remains of Vince and Tom's meals before leaving. Kevin glanced over at Simon. "So is he really coming? I'd like to meet a real werewolf."

Simon shook his head. "Nope. But aren't you glad it's over anyway?"

Kevin nodded. After a few minutes conversation, they split the bill and called their rides.

Andrew looked at Simon in the review mirror. "Well? How was it?"

"Great. I had a wonderful time. But I don't think the other guys did. Do them a favor and don't try to involve me in sorcerer society ever again. Please."

Andrew nodded. "Well, um . . . Okay then."

Looking at a total loss, Andrew headed for home. Simon relaxed in the back seat. He was never doing that again. But he might call Kevin sometime.

~W~S~

Simon was back home. Doing homework. Woo hoo. He was sure someone had invented chemistry just so he could fail it. To blow off some steam from the meeting, he was experimenting with different chemicals, which was pretty fun, using a kid's science kit that Derek had made some modifications to. Usually this particular set was kept locked up. But after a handy spell from a book Dad had confiscated, he was able to have some fun with his schoolwork. Purely in the interest of science, of course. He was trying out different acids on an old rag he had found in the kitchen. The funny looking blue liquid was next.

Simon carefully poured a bit onto the rag, then jumped back as it burst into flame. Resisting the urge to call the fire department, (sirens were always fun) he got the fire extinguisher from down the hall and was able to put the fire out quickly. That was when he realized that the rag was Dad's lucky purple apron that he had bought in Washington or something. Well. This was a problem. Assessing the situation carefully, he grabbed the apron and rushed downstairs, then stuffed it under the sink. He settled himself innocently on the couch with his video games, doing his best to not think about the apron.

Just then, the door opened and Derek walked in, his head bowed. He was muttering quite loudly, talking to someone who wasn't there, and Simon could here every word.

"Why yes, Jessica, I understand perfectly. You understand it but you can't get it right. Yes, that makes perfect sense."

He sounded very sarcastic. Then he exploded.

"NO! I do NOT understand why you can't figure out that 6y and -3y are like terms. And no, I am NOT wrong, I don't care if you think you're _so_ smart, and I know I can't be right all of the time, but this time I AM, so deal with it!"

He threw his books down on the dining room table and gripped the back of a chair. Simon watched impassively.

"Tough day, huh?"

Derek glared at him and grunted.

"Just keep telling yourself it could be worse. You could have group lessons. At least this way they can't gang up on you."

Derek ignored him, mumbling something about dumb blondes and what they had against reading books.

Simon sighed in mock frustration.

"Now, that isn't very nice bro. After all, your girlfriend is a blonde, and you seem to like her just fine."

Usually at the mention of Chloe, Derek would immediately perk up, but this time his expression almost grew darker. Simon rolled his eyes.

"Don't tell me you aren't excited about seeing her. I know you are. You've been acting weirdly happy the last few days."

Derek scowled, but Simon ignored him.

"Come on, you grouch. Don't tell me you won't be happy to see her. We'll both be thrilled when the weekend comes, though Tori will be there so we may have to find a way to get rid of her. . ."

Simon frowned, and for a moment the two boys wore twin expressions of annoyance.

"But seeing Chloe will be great! You have to admit that, right?"

"She's a girl."

"Well, thank goodness for that. Geez Derek, you think just 'cause all the girls at school act weird Chloe will be acting weird?"

Derek had the grace to look embarrassed.

"Great. Now that your brain in back in the state it should be, I need help with my math. Like, now."

Derek sighed and loosened his grip on the chair. Simon glanced at the metal pole that was the back support of the chair. "You know, if Dad hadn't gotten that new dining room furniture set, the _strong_ type, we would have spent a ton of money on replacements."

Derek grunted. "If _I_ didn't break anything, I'm sure you would have. I see from the dents in the wall that you've been practicing."

Simon grinned. "Hey! My old piano teacher always said, 'Practice makes perfect, so shut up and play!' I'm inclined to agree, at least in this area."

Derek was ignoring him. Simon watched his brother's nostrils flare and remembered the apron. Oops. As Derek turned toward the sink, Simon rushed forward, attempting to distract him.

"Hey, Derek! I forgot, there's some mail in the living room for you. I think it might be from one of those colleges you asked for information. Why don't you go see. I didn't want to open it, because you know, it's none of my business and all but really Derek, you should go . . ."

Derek held up the charred apron and gave Simon an expectant look. Simon rubbed his chin, attempting to look confused. He looked more like Sherlock Holmes trying to decipher a clue.

"I have no idea what happened. I do know it wasn't my fault."

Derek surveyed the damage, glancing at Simon through the huge hole in the fabric. "You know, Dad really liked this apron. Got it in Washington or something like that. You do remember he calls it lucky?"

"What are you looking at me for? I didn't do it!"

"If I wasn't in a good mood I'd tackle you."

"Awww, the big bad wolf is afraid to tackle the innocent Korean kid."

This comment was followed by a few moments of wrestling, but it didn't last long. Christopher Bae walked through the door quietly, wondering what had caused the comotion he had just heard. After being held by the Edison Group for more than three months he was a little skittish. But he relaxed when he sew Derek holding Simon firmly in a head-lock.

"Admit you did it and I'll let you go," Derek said.

"Never!" Simon groaned dramatically. "I can not tell a lie! I cut down the cherry tree!"

Derek lifted an eyebrow. "And what does that have to do with anything?"

"It doesn't. But seriously, it's really interesting. George Washington was a brilliant guy and in the Battle of-"

Derek cut him off. "How about this. You admit to it or I won't help you with your math."

Simon cackled. "Ha! I got you there! If you don't help me with math, I won't help you with English."

"Fine. But I can actually afford to lose a grade. Unlike Mr. C- here."

Simon scowled. "Fine. I admit it."

Christopher Bae had been examining the discarded apron during the entire conversation, and rolled his eyes as he listened. "There's a surprise," he muttered, too low for the boys to hear.

"Admit what?" Derek asked.

Simon glared. "I admit I accidentally burned up Dad's lucky apron. But it was during a science experiment, so it was contributing to my education, and therefore, to the greater good of humanity. Or something like that."

"That's fine Simon, but can you please leave my clothes out of it next time? There are some perfectly good rags in the closet that you can burn up anytime you like. Within reason." Both boys jumped as Mr. Bae spoke. They spun quickly, already set to attack, but the sight of their father reassured them.

"Hey, Dad! When did you get back? Usually Derek knows as soon as you get in. And would a bonfire in the back yard be within reason?" Simon was already thinking about the torch in the shed. Heh heh.

"I've been here for the past few minutes. And no, that is _not_ within reason. I hope to see the money for this apron in my pocket within the hour. $15.99, buster."

Simon trudged up the stairs, muttering about adults and their particular memories. Derek smiled and settled down on the couch.

"You know Derek, you usually know the second I'm in the driveway. Even if you are distracted by Simon."

Derek gave a wry half smile and leaned back. "Nothing get's by you, does it?" he smiled.

"I've had years of practice. You're Changing aren't you? Tonight probably."

Derek nodded. "I didn't want Simon to know because he promised Chloe that he would tell her as soon as I start again. She wants to be there."

Mr. Bae nodded. "She cares about you very much."

"And I care about her. But I don't want her coming if she doesn't need to. And she doesn't."

"She might think differently."

"It's a five hour trip! She would barely have time to get here and back before school in the morning, and she'd be exhausted all day. No." Derek replied.

"She probably wouldn't care."

"But I do. I don't want her tiring herself out if she doesn't need to. I'll see her on the weekend."

"She would want to be there, Derek, she wouldn't care if she was tired, and don't try and tell me you wouldn't want her there too."

"I do. But I can handle it. I know what's going to happen now, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"You won't even consider it?" Mr. Bae asked.

"No. I can handle it. Really."

"Okay."

Derek nodded. His feelings were a bit mixed. He was glad Dad wasn't pushing it. But he was scared. He was always afraid, even though he knew what would happen. But the pain. . . He shuddered unconsciously. He hated it, the way his bones seemed to break and move, growing, the way his intestines shifted inside his body, more painfully then anything he had ever felt. He stopped himself from thinking about it. But when Chloe was there it was almost completely different. She was always there, no matter what, telling him it would be alright, reassuring him. He didn't want to do it without her, but he knew she couldn't be with him every time, and he needed to deal with his fears now. Even if he didn't want to.

Mr. Bae watched his son's face, catching the emotions. He patted Derek's shoulder reassuringly. "I'll be there. Don't worry."

Derek nodded, not showing anything, but Mr. Bae knew his son well enough to notice the relaxation in his large frame. The two sat silently for a few moments, just enjoying the fact that they were both safe, and both, for the moment, happy.

Upstairs, Simon sat in front of his computer. He had heard enough of the conversation to know what was going on. Derek was Changing tonight, but he didn't want Chloe to know. Simon sighed and shook his head. If Chloe found out, she would be furious. He didn't want her to exhaust herself, but he had seen Chloe angry, and it wasn't pretty. Better to have her happy and tired then angry and wide awake. He clicked on the send button.

**"Derek is Changing 2 night."**

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You guys want ChloexDerek? It's coming next chapter!


	3. A Needed Visit

Edited, finished, and complete! Hope you all enjoy it!

I've got to do another chapter of Medjai Warriors, then I'll keep going on this. Sorry for the wait!

* * *

I stared at the computer screen. _Tonight. _Five hours away, maybe an hour there, then five hours back. It was just after five PM now. If I left right now I could be back by four. In the morning.

There was no question of not being there. I had been with Derek at every Change, both partial and complete, and I knew how much easier it was when someone was with him. I also needed an excuse to see him after two weeks. I couldn't do much for anyone, so that fact that _I _was one of the few people who could help him made me feel important and useful. I didn't want anyone else taking over _my _job.

I didn't care about being tired; I didn't get much sleep anyways because I didn't like taking the pills Andrew had given me that were supposed to help with my inability to sleep without raising a zombie. They were pretty much just knockout pills, and while they put me into a very, very deep sleep, they made me feel fuzzy and out of it all day, so I only took them if I was too exhausted to keep my eyes open, let alone do homework. Miranda had once said I looked like the walking dead, which made me break out in slightly hysterical giggles. Heh heh.

But first I had to convince Dad and Aunt Lauren. Liz hadn't reappeared, and I wasn't really worried; she often wouldn't show up for hours unless it was the weekend. She seemed to almost enjoy being dead. She was certainly taking every advantage being dead gave her. I hoped she wasn't walking through video games or computers anymore. Her telekinetic energy had a very negative effect on machines. The last accident, at a vending machine, had made the local paper.

I closed the browser and slid out of the chair, heading for the door and mentally preparing myself. What was I going to say? _I think that after that A+ I got, I should get a little break. _No. Too demanding. _If something happens, then I won't go again. _Not exactly truthful, but a better approach. _I'll do the dishes for the next two months. _A little drastic, but I could use it as a last resort. _I'll . . ._ I lost my train of thought as I stepped into the dining room and saw Dad and Aunt Lauren sitting at the table, as if they had been waiting for me. I stepped forward with firm determination, hoping I wasn't about to trip over my feet, or my words.

"Dad? Aunt Lauren?"

They looked up and immediately set down the newspaper sections they had been reading.

"What do you want, Chloe?" Dad asked. Aunt Lauren looked like she was trying to guess what was going on.

"I was wondering if there was somewhere I could go tonight."

A look of realization crossed my aunt's face. "Where?"

"Mr. Bae's," I squeaked out.

"No." "Why?" Aunt Lauren and Dad said at the same time.

I faced Dad and prayed he would understand.

"Derek is Changing tonight, and it's really hard for him, and I've been with him every other time and it seems to help if someone is with him, especially me, so . . ."

"He's the werewolf, isn't he? Your boyfriend."

"Yes," Aunt Lauren took the chance and jumped in. "And I've told Chloe before, it's dangerous for her to be around him, especially when he's Changing. Werewolves are much stronger than normal people, and he could easily hurt her. He already has, when they were trying to get away. Show him, Chloe."

I wished she hadn't brought that up. When we had been escaping from the Edison Group, Derek and I had been seperated from Tori and Simon. I had been knocked out and Derek, still in his wolf form, had dragged me down the hall and out of the way into a deserted lab. Unfortunately, he had knocked against a table, and a scalpel had fallen and cut my leg. Derek had blamed himself for the accident completely. When Aunt Lauren first saw the cut she thought that Derek had caused it. I frowned at my aunt.

"That wasn't his fault. When he Changes it hurts him, and it helps if I'm there. He's been there for me every time I was in danger, and I want to do what I can for him."

My dad looked between us and we waited tensely. Aunt Lauren knew that she couldn't do anything if he decided against her. They may have not always agreed, but Aunt Lauren respected my dad's wishes. Most of the time. I hoped.

After a few moments, Dad looked at me carefully and asked, "Are you willing to take responsibility for your schoolwork?"

I nodded enthusiastically.

"Then I think you can go." He turned back to his newspaper without another word.

Aunt Lauren glared at him in frustration as I closed my mouth, still shocked at how easy it was. I rushed forward and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks, Dad." He smiled up at me and I saw the sad look of understanding in his eyes. He would have done anything for my mom, just like I will do anything for Derek.

I ran back up the stairs to my room and get ready.

~W~S~

Aunt Lauren drove me to the bus stop. She was not happy. I listened to her mutter phrases like "Padlock on her door," "Electric fence," and "Guns. Many guns," for the entire trip. I was getting a little worried, but I didn't think she would really do anything. Well . . . Except for the part about putting, "Alarms on her windows."

She stopped grumbling when we pulled up to the bus terminal. "You know how I feel about this, Chloe," she snapped out. "It isn't safe."

I was already half-way out of the car. "Sorry, Aunt Lauren. But it is safe. And even if it wasn't, I'd still find some way to help him." She stammered an objection, but I did't pay attention. I entered the terminal, bought my ticket, and by the time I came outside to wait at the bench, she'd already gone.

The bus arrived after fifteen minutes, at six o'clock, and I got on, faced with the task of occupying myself for five hours. I wasn't tired, though I knew I would soon need sleep, so I studied Spanish and Algebra, then went over my ideas for the new video project in film club. I was thinking about a bus ride. A long bus ride. I stopped when I wrote down that 'gato,' cat, meant 'once,' eleven, the hour I would arrive. I was too distracted for school.

I tried to sleep, I really did, but the uncomfortable jarring of the bus combined with my energetic thoughts kept me wide awake. So I just lay there, spread out across the seat with my legs in the aisle, looking behind me out the window at the darkening sky. My mind was nearly blank, simply filled with anticipation, wishing that the bus would go faster, wishing that I was there, with Derek, at this moment. So of course, the remaining hours crawled by more slowly than I thought was possible. Eventually, I dropped into a sort of half conscious trance, where everything felt glazed and out of place, like a video with horrible quality. I was slipping in and out of sleep, one moment reliving Lyle House, with the nurses surrounding me, and the next moment I heard the bus driver shout the address of the stop. I had arrived.

I slung my bag, filled with school books, my iPod, a snack, and a pillow, over my shoulder, and hurried off of the bus. I was the only one to get off, and the area, on the outskirts of the city, was deserted, except for a small terminal. I walked a little farther down the road to the stop light and looked up at the road sign. Turner Lane. Well, this was the right one. I kept walking, looking for the house Simon had sent me pictures of.

I found it almost immediately. It was small, green, with a low roof and a lit porch. There were no vehicles in the driveway, and I couldn't see anyone in the garage. I walked up and knock on the door. No one answered. Then I noticed the bright red door bell off to the side. I pressed it, and then jumped as a loud buzzer went off somewhere inside the house. There was a loud shout. "COMING!!!" I listened warily to what I could only guess was furniture falling over as what sounded like a herd of cows fell down the stairs. Simon threw the door open, and it slammed into the back of the wall with a crack. "Chloe, I am _so_ glad to see you!" He wrapped me up in a quick, one armed hug, then grabbed my wrist and dragged me through the house at high speed, letting me see only a blur of color as I rushed to keep up. "They left for the park like an hour ago, and Derek looked really bad then. They took the car but I still have my bike, so if we hurry we might make it."

We emerged in the garage, and Simon pressed a small button on the wall to open the door. He had a mountain bike, and it looked nice, but he was highly offended when I asked if it could hold us both. "Are you kidding? This thing as a work of art, and I've spent enough money on upgrades to make sure it could carry at least two people." He skipped onto the front of the seat lightly, and motioned me behind him. I ascended much less gracefully, nearly tipping the bike over as I settled into position. And then we were off. I wondered if Simon did everything so fast when he was excited. I wrapped my arms around his waist tightly, exceedingly nervous as I looked down at the hard cement of the sidewalk.

Simon didn't even slow when we jumped a curb and nearly went out of control. Or, that's what it felt like. Simon seemed to be completely relaxed and having a great time. The minutes of terror dragged by as I clung to Simon for dear life, then we suddenly skidded to halt. Simon yelled, jumped off quickly, then helped me down, grinning all the while. "That was the first time I really got to try out the new brake system! Wasn't it great?" I nodded shakily, waiting for my knees to stop knocking into each other. When they did, I looked up at where we were.

It was a park. A huge, dark place, with trees bursting over the top of the fence that surrounded it. Oak, maple, beech. . . Those were only the ones I could recognize, and there were many more kinds.

"Wow."

"Yup," Simon replied. "Nice isn't it? This is one of the top rated parks in the state, and we're just lucky enough to live right next to it." He pointed behind me to the large parking lot, and I saw the single blue van. "That's Dad's van, so they must have come in this way."

I looked up at the iron fence, not sure what to think. "How are we going to get in?"

"The same way Dad and Derek got in. They probably left it open for us; I told Dad you would be coming."

"Did you tell Derek?" I asked, following Simon as he walked around the fence.

"Nah. I wanted to surprise him, and he didn't want you to come anyways."

I stopped. "He didn't want me there?"

Simon turned to look at me. "Oh, he wanted you to be there, he just didn't want to wear you out. He's worried enough about you as it is, what with the zombies and everything." He looked back at me, slightly worried. "Have you been having problems? You look tired."

I shook my head, even though it was a complete lie. "I've been studying for a test on Friday."

He didn't exactly look convinced. "Alright, but Derek will be able to tell."

I nodded and continued following him around the park. He was right, and I didn't know how I was going to convince Derek that I was doing as well as could be expected.

We walked for a few more yards, until Simon stopped and pointed to the large gate. A padlock was hanging in place, but when Simon pulled at it, it fell open instantly.

He pulled open the door and walked in as I trailed behind. Forests are always creepy at night, and this park was _huge. _When I turned around after a few yards I couldn't see the gate, and the light from the parking lot lamp was impossible to see with all the trees in the way. Luckily, Simon had brought flashlights.

I followed him closely, terrified of getting lost, and we walked for a few more minutes before I glimpsed another light coming through the trees.

"Dad?" Simon called out.

"Simon?" a voice answered. "Where are you?"

"Over here!"

Mr. Bae joined us moments later, his clothes dirty and his hair tangled with twigs. He smiled at me, his eyes grinning gently, and I was reminded of how much I liked this man.

"Hello, Chloe. It's great to see you again."

I blushed slightly, not really sure what to say. Simon saved me.

"What's up? Why did you start coming back, and where's Derek?"

"Derek heard you get here. Actually, so did I. That brake system worked, I take it?" He replied.

"Oh, it was great! You have _got_ to try it."

Mr. Bae tried to hide his smile. "Alright, maybe later. Right now, Derek needs help."

I immediately snapped back to normal. "Is he alright?"

Mr. Bae nodded reassuringly. "He's fine, but you know how hard it is for him. He's down that path about 300 feet. I can-"

I wasn't listening anymore. As soon as he had told me where Derek was I had rushed down the path, which, I admit, was not the best plan, but at the moment, I didn't care.

Then I tripped over a tree root. I went a little more slowly after that.

When I thought I had gone about 300 feet, I started looking around and whispering Derek's name. I reached a small clearing, and then I heard a low moan.

Derek had moved into the darkness of the trees. He was already almost half-way through the Change, but under his thick black fur I could still make out his features. He was breathing hard, like he couldn't get enough air in, and I remembered watching a movie in Health about panic attacks. I rushed over and bent down beside him, and he shuddered when I placed my hand on his back. He looked over at me, and I picked up the silent thank you in his eyes. I smiled.

"I'm here. It's okay."

I sat there with him until it was finished, until the wolf had fully taken over his body, until the last spasms of pain had passed through his body, until he had completely calmed down. Then the Derek-wolf stood up, turned to face me, and fixed me with his worst glare.

"Oh, what? Are you still upset I came?"

He nodded firmly. I placed my hands on my hips, glaring back at him.

"Well excuse me! This is something I wanted to do Derek Souza, and you do _not _have control over how I spend my time. It's bad enough being at school, without anyone to talk to, and worrying about raising dead people, and ghosts, and school, and you and Simon, and Liz, and Rae, and if any of the Edison Group got away, and I wanted to come and do this so you better darn deal with it!" I hadn't realized my voice had been building, hadn't really thought about what I was saying, hadn't realized how much I had wanted to see him, and tell him about the past weeks. And now he was telling me he didn't want me around! I stared at the ground and swept a hand over my eyes to dislodge the forming tears. I felt awful, tired and hungry, maybe a little sick, and right now I just wanted to curl up and go to sleep.

I felt a gentle nudge against my shoulder and looked up at Derek. His green eyes stared softly at me, and I gave a shaky smile. He pressed his nose up against my face, and I giggled at the cold, wet touch against my cheek. My smile was much more real now, and I threw my arms around Derek's neck. I kissed his furry cheek and then drew back.

"Now that, _that_ little bit of unpleasantness is over, I think we should head back to your dad."

Derek nodded and stood. I placed my hand on his back as we walked, and he gave me a big wolfy grin. We traveled along the path, me clutching him so I wouldn't fall flat on my face as he strolled along carelessly, easily avoiding everything in his path. I guess you can blame it on his night vision, but by the time we got out of the park I wanted to trip him.

Simon and Mr. Bae were waiting for us. Simon hugged me goodbye, told me he was looking forward to the weekend, then jumped on his bike and zoomed away. Mr. Bae opened the van's back door, and I realized that the back seat had been removed, giving Derek enough room to curl up comfortably. I followed him in, and Mr. Bae got into the driver's seat. He was taking me back to the bus stop. The engine rumbled quietly to life, and we pulled out of the parking lot and onto the highway.

I leaned back against Derek, feeling the warmth of his body warming me and making me even drowsier. The van moved smoothly along the highway, and light from the lamps along the side of the road flickered through the windows. But I wasn't going to fall asleep. This would be the last time I would see Derek until the weekend, and I would not be spending it unconscious. So I whispered to Derek, even though, in his wolf form, he couldn't answer back. I told him about school, and Liz, and Kari, Beth, and Miranda, and all the kids at school, and my algebra homework that I knew he could have finished in three minutes, and anything else that popped into my head. And he listened silently, nodding every time I looked at him. I wished that this time would never end and that we could drive on through the night forever. Then the van stopped.

I sat up reluctantly, looking through the windows. The bus terminal was empty, completely deserted. A single yellow bulb illuminated the concrete sidewalk and the small rest area where food and tickets were sold. It was time for me to go.

I stood up as much as I could before opening the sliding door. Derek climbed out after me, and we walked side by side toward the bus stop. I looked toward the window where the tickets were sold, wondering nervously if anyone would notice the big, black, wolf and call the police. But everything was quiet, and the middle aged woman at the ticket window was asleep over a magazine. I didn't need another ticket anyways. The one I had bought back home covered the return trip. I glanced at my watch. _11:45_. I had five minutes. Five minutes to say good bye to Derek again. Doing it at the safe house had been hard enough. I would be seeing him on the weekend. Only three more days and then I would be with him for an entire weekend. Two _days_. But I knew from experience that much could change in three days, or even one day. Friends, like Liz, could die. I willed myself to calm down. I had to do this.

I knelt down in front of Derek. Light poured down from the weak lamp above us, casting long shadows over the sidewalk, the grass, the black highway. A whisper of wind brushed my hair into my face. Derek gave a soft whine, the only sound he could make to show me what he was feeling. I lay my hand on his shoulder and wove my fingers in and out of the soft fur. I started to say something, I don't know what, but my throat closed up. I didn't want to go. I didn't want to. I looked down, trying to calm down enough to at least get my voice working again. Then Derek pressed his forehead gently against mine. I closed my eyes, calming quickly, and just knelt there, enjoying the feel of Derek's fur against my face. We stayed in that position until Derek suddenly looked up.

I turned toward the road and saw two pinpricks of yellow light moving toward us quickly. I looked back at Derek. His eyes told me everything I needed to know. That he was grateful I had been there for him. That he still thought it had been a bad idea. That he was worried about me, about how I was handling things at school, and the dead bodies, the ghosts. . .

That he loved me.

That I had to go.

I gave him a hug, quick but tight, and then stood. Derek headed back to the van where Mr. Bae was waiting for him. He gave me one more look, his green eyes shining in the darkness, then climbed into the back.I stood and waited for the bus. It seemed to take only seconds before it pulled to a screeching stop in front of me. I forced my legs up the steps and walked to the very back of the bus. I stared out the window at the blue van sitting in the shadows. The bus began to move, and I felt my stomach clench.

After a good forty minutes of staring out the windows, I gave my weary mind a rest. I needed to sleep. I had tests, assignments, film club and I'd only gotten one hour of sleep so far. I had to stop thinking about Derek.

I rested my head against the window and sighed. For my next film I would try a documentary about why you should never have a boyfriend who lives 300 miles away. It was much too difficult this way. I didn't know if I could get by with so little sleep, and then there was just the emotional strain of moving around between friends. Nate had asked me to the last dance of the school year, and I didn't really know how to tell him I couldn't go because I already had a boyfriend. Instead, I had told him I was busy that day. Way easier than explaining what was going on in my life. Summer was going to be an incredible relief. I imagined week long sleep overs and couldn't help grinning. Maybe going on a shopping trip into the city with Tori, going to the amusement park with Simon, going to the park with Derek. . .

If I could just make it through the last two months of the school year, I could make it. I lay down on the seat, trying to get as comfortable as possible. The weekend, the summer. I couldn't wait.


	4. Undead Lab Expiraments

They were dead. Rotting, their muscles tearing as they moved toward her, blood dripping from the ruptured organs that had been crushed by the car. . . As dead as dead could get. Dead, dead, dead. Not gettin' any deader.

Whatever. More importantly, I am dead. Dead, dead, dead. Well, I guess that's what you get for staying up till four. A.M. As in - the freakin' morning! But, anyways, here ya go. I will try to get the updates going more quickly, but, just to let you know, I've only planned one more chapter after this. Sorry.

In other news, Chloe is _not _dead, but severely dead like.

* * *

I thought I was doing fine. I thought I was going to be able to stay awake. I thought I could actually make it. I had just answered an Algebra question correctly, I didn't feel tired, at least not any more than normal. The day was actually going pretty well, and-

Then my head slammed into the desk and I snapped awake. Woops. Dreaming again.

Mrs. Jacobs looked at me sharply, and I waved my biology book weakly, hoping she would assume I had dropped it. She just frowned and continued with the lesson, explaining about the structure of the esophagus or something like that. I tried to concentrate for a few minutes, but my eyelids wouldn't stay open. Kari poked me in the back as my head started to stray towards the desk, and I jerked back upright. One more period. One more period until lunch. One more period until I could take a break, take a nap. Sleep. I'd forgotten what that felt like. A nice long, peaceful, uninterrupted sleep. Huh. When was the last time I had taken one of those? Oh, yeah. When Derek was still around.

The night before I hadn't really been able to take even a small nap. The fear of dead animals long buried on the side of the road tormented me into wakefulness each time I tried. Raising an animal at home was highly unenjoyable, but a much more appealing idea than the bodies of raised roadkill following the path of the bus down the highway in broad daylight until they reached my house. _That_ little image kept me wide awake.

True to my previous predictions, I had arrived home on Thursday at 4 A.M. I have a feeling I'm one of the few teenagers to ever be awake willingly at that hour. It's dark. Really dark. I tripped over the step on the way in the door. I fell into bed, hoping for a few minutes of blessing sleep, but it seemed like almost as soon as I had, my alarm clock was beeping loudly, that annoying, shrill ringing that set my teeth on edge. I probably would have hurled it out the window if I'd had enough energy for anything more than rolling out of the warm, soft blankets onto the floor. I had turned the shower on icy cold, hoping the temperature of the water would shock me alert, but that only worked for as long as I was actually _in _the shower. When I looked in the mirror I realized the dark, heavy purple circles under my eyes weren't going to disappear even with the thick makeup I used every morning. Still, I did my best, then skipped breakfast so I could nap on the couch. Actually, I don't know if nap is the right word. I kind of just sat there with my eyes half opened, hoping to prevent myself from falling into a deeper sleep and not waking up until, oh, I dunno, a corpse crawled up me.

I really wished I could skip school today, but I knew Aunt Lauren would never let me forget it if my visit with Derek interrupted my school day. More importantly, she wouldn't let Dad forget it, until he had promised not to let me go on any more spur-of-the-moment trips.

I almost agreed with her. I had returned to school after our adventures to find that I was failing almost all of my classes, and my grades had stubbornly refused to go up, as I failed to stay awake in class, slept through the assignments, missed the assignments, forgot the assignments, didn't finish or didn't even start most of the assignments, and was so tired that I couldn't stay awake at home either. It seemed like my life had turned into a quest to find every opportunity to catnap that I could. And catnaps could only get you so far.

It really seemed like I could only get a good nights sleep if I took those pills, or if Derek was there. In desperation, I was planning on taking one of the pills tonight, hoping that catching up on a little sleep would let me at least get a decent grade on my Biology quiz. If taking that medication (which turned me into a living zombie) was the only way I was going to be able to sleep, I should probably just drop out of school and say good-bye to my directing dreams right now.

Biology slid by in a blur of images that I caught between sleep and wakefulness. Then the bell jerked me out of a half-dream again, not for the first time that day, and I walked out, extremely grateful for the lunch period.

I doubted there were any dead bodies around the school, considering how the janitors freaked out if you spilled a drop of soda on the floors. I didn't know about the ghost janitor that had chased me that first day I could see ghosts. I hadn't seen him, and even though I had tried to contact him once, he hadn't responded. Hopefully he had passed over and I wouldn't need to worry about him chasing me any more.

There aren't many quiet places at A. R. Gurney, but one that I loved was the auditorium. When it wasn't crawling with ghosts. I had also inspected the entire stage, looking for anything scary movie worthy, but hadn't found a single suspicious trace, so I put my previous encounter down to nerves and my own overactive imagination. Or a ghost that was now gone.

I pushed the auditorium door open and stepped in. Maybe it has something to do with wanting to be a director, but I've always loved that big, open, silent space in front of the stage. I could just imagine the place, crowed with props and actors, as one of my plays was acted out. And maybe later adapted for the silver screen.

Yeah, it's a vain idea, but it's what every single director or film writer has dreamed of.

I walked down the shadowy aisle to the front row, then up onto the stage. It was dark, but I knew my way around well enough to find what I needed, reaching out in front of myself so I didn't run into any walls. Some of the costumes from elementary plays were packed away in the back boxes, and I was able to use them to make a reasonably comfortable bed. The crystals sewed into the Cinderella costume kept poking me in the stomach though. I set my watch alarm to go off five minutes before sixth period, and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the, er. . . balled up head piece for the Rat King costume in The Nutcracker. I fell asleep on a rat head. A rather morbid picture, but the fluffy stuffing shoved into its head was _soooo_ soft.

I don't know how long I slept, but since I started raising bodies, I've kind of started to wake up if there are any weird, possibly caused-by-animal/human-zombie sounds in the near vicinity. So when I suddenly snapped awake in the almost pitch black darkness, I was considerably nervous as to why I had woken up. More appropriately, _what_ had woken me? I didn't hear anything, but that didn't mean nothing was there. I sat up and listened carefully, trying not to panic.

"Hello?" I called quietly. "Is someone there?"

Maybe it was just one of the other kids, trying to play a joke. But who knew I was here? No one. Someone could have seen me, but I hadn't really noticed anyone. Maybe that hadn't been such a good idea. I'd seen way to many horror movies where the innocent, wandering student was killed off by a silent murderer, and I scrambled up, breaking out in goosebumps.

Then I heard the sounds.

They were wet, like something was slapping softly against the floor, again and again, in no particular pattern. It was coming down the aisle, toward the stage, toward me. There was a faint, odd clicking sound also, like . . . I didn't know, but I needed to find out. As I heard another wet slap against the wood floor of the stage not far away, I rushed around the curtain, searching desperately for the light. There were more of those wet slaps, and I was convinced that whatever these things were, they were jumping onto the stage. The clicking sounds had stopped at the foot of the stage, and I heard what sounded like grunts as the things repeatedly bumped into it.

I had almost reached the light when the things making the wet sounds caught up with me. I felt something jump onto my jacket and then fall back to the floor with a plop. A moment later, something else hit me, this time in the face. It was clammy, cold, slimy, wet, and _moving_. I shrieked and jumped back, falling against the curtain that momentarily supported my weight, but then gave wayquickly, sending my falling back with a rush of panic as I lost my balance and more of the slimy things jumped onto me. Slapping the tiny bodies away, I jumped up and rushed for the light. I scrabbled blindly for the switch, and my fingernails scraped over it, flicking it on. There was a dull _click, _and then the dark theater was lit with brilliant light. Unfortunately, it also blinded me.

After a few moments of squinting against the glare, things started to came back into focus, and I looked around blearily. Then I screamed. A girly, damsel-in-distress scream. So you know it was bad.

Crawling toward me, getting closer and closer, were frogs. Thirty or forty of them, using stiffened legs to jump slowly across the stage. They were staring at me with dull, lifeless eyes, freezing me with fear, and then I remembered the other sounds, the clicking, and I skirted around the frogs, and looked down at the base of the stage. I nearly threw up.

Pigs. Fetal pigs, their bodies still not fully formed, their eyes and ears closed, like they would have been before they were even born. Their bodies were tiny and pink, bald, and their skin looked tight and wrinkled. I clapped my hands over my mouth to hold in another scream and backed up slowly. My foot squished on something, and there was a crunch. I had forgotten about the frogs, one of which I had just stepped on. I shook the smashed body off of my shoe, and it fell to the floor, where it lay for a moment before getting up again and limping towards me, closely followed by the other frogs. The pigs had found the stairs, and were trying to climb them. But the bigger ones who could get to the higher steps kept falling on the small ones.

I had to calm down and release them. But some of the pigs bad managed to crawl over the edge of the stage, and the frogs had never stopped advancing on me. I was trembling; I was so scared, and all I could think was _get away! Get away from the frogs!_

I backed up against the wall, trying to calm myself down, wishing there was somewhere I could go so that I could release the dead animals without them being able to reach me, while staying in the auditorium. No such luck. I took a few deep breaths, counting how long I inhaled and exhaled like Aunt Lauren's meditation DVD said to do. I tried to ignore the _click, click_ of the pigs' hooves, and the wet sounds of the frogs coming towards me. One of them jumped on me, and I shuddered, but didn't open my eyes.

I pictured them all in my head, this big group of dead animals, trying to make sure I remembered them all. Their spirits being released, drifting up to the sky, again and again, until I couldn't hear anything anymore. I cracked open my eyes and looked around, then breathed a huge sigh of relief as I realized that they had all stopped moving.

I just stood there for a few moments, getting my breathing back to normal, and wondering how I was going to get them all back to the Biology room, which was obviously where they belonged. Then I heard the door to the auditorium creak open slowly, and I looked up, panicking, hoping that it was one of my friends instead of someone I didn't know. It might be difficult, but I could probably convince Beth, Miranda, or Kari to keep the subject of dead animals quiet, but someone I didn't know wouldn't know what to think. A large figure was outlined in the shadows of the door, and then he stepped forward. He was wearing loose jeans, a loose, dark T-shirt, and his black hair was hanging over his eyes. As usual.

"Chloe?"

I was off the stage and streaking down the aisle in moments, and then I barreled into him, and he grunted in surprise as I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. A second later his arms came around me gently, and I grinned up into emerald green eyes.

_Derek._

"How did you get here?" I burst out.

"Nice to see you too," he remarked dryly, his face serious, but his eyes smiling.

I grinned and squeezed him tighter. After the nightmare with the frogs and pigs, I felt like I was in heaven.

"I missed you," I said quietly.

He looked skeptical. "Chloe, you just saw me yesterday. And please, don't say something like 'I'm in pain when we're apart,' or another equally cheesy or sappy line."

I just grinned more. "I saw you as a_ wolf _Derek. It's not like we could actually talk or anything. And this is perfect timing," I continued innocently, "because we have some work to do."

He looked puzzled for a few moments, then I watched as he looked around with widening eyes at the auditorium, at the pigs at the stage steps, and the frogs on the stage.

I nodded ruefully. "Yeah. I guess we're going to be doing dissection in Biology."

He just gave me a look and shook his head, squeezed my shoulder, and we started to clean up.

~W~S~

After that, there wasn't any chance of hiding anything from him. If I was using the lunch period to hide out in the auditorium and sneak a nap, there had to be something wrong.

"Why aren't you taking the pills?"

"Because they make me act like I'm on drugs, and even though I can actually get a few hours of sleep after taking them, it would probably be better if I hadn't."

He frowned. "I'll talk to Dad and Andrew about it, but until then, try taking just half a pill. That should be enough to let you sleep pretty deeply, without such strong side affects."

I nodded, trying to cover a yawn. We had collected the frogs and pigs in plastic bags, and then returned them to the biology room. Except for the frog I had stepped on. We had to throw that one out. Now we sat in the back of the auditorium, talking quietly, and I was dreading when the bell would ring in five minutes.

He was here because Mr. Bae had wanted his help in picking out a new dining room table set, this time a really strong set, specially made and ordered out of solid steel. The guy who had sold it to them had had some urgent business or something, so Mr. Bae had needed Derek to help him get the new furniture. While Mr. Bae had to do some shopping and visit a few friends in town, he had dropped Derek off at my school, knowing that the lunch period was coming up.

"What classes do you have next?" he asked suddenly, and I looked up in surprise.

"Study hall, then art, then PE."

"So you don't have any really necessary subjects?"

"No . . ."

"Then why don't you skip those classes and sleep while you can?"

I just stared at him. "Huh?"

He rolled his eyes. "Dad takes a long time when he's talking to old friends, so this would be a perfect opportunity for you to get some sleep. You told me that you can always sleep when I'm with you, so we shouldn't have any problems with raising corpses, and you told me last night that you have a biology test tomorrow. You need to sleep so that you can study."

I blinked, and then nodded. "There are some trees out in the back yard; it's really nice out there, and you'll be able to hear when Mr. Bae gets back if we're outside."

He nodded. "Good idea. We'll wait until the next bell so that no one notices."

So we sat there quietly in the middle of the auditorium, waiting. I held his hand tightly, trying to keep myself awake, but I drifted off against his shoulder, and he shook me awake gently a few minutes after the tardy bell rang. We got up and headed for the back exit, Derek walking silently behind me as I tried to be as quiet as possible.

The school area was surrounded by a fence, but near the back there were a few big maple trees, popular lunch spots during the spring months. We sat down under the one in the corner of the yard, and I settled back against him, the cool of the shade and the warmth of Derek's body quickly making me drowsy. His arms were around my waist, and I could hear him breathing quietly behind me.

I'm not really sure why I could always sleep peacefully when Derek was there. Maybe it was because I always felt safe when he was there. Maybe it was because he would know if I raised something, and would be able to tell me. Maybe it was because I trusted him, more than I had ever trusted anyone in my life.

Whatever the reason, it didn't take long for me to drop off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

~W~S~

"Chloe. Chloe, wake up. Chloe come on, get up; school's over."

I opened my eyes blearily, wondering why someone was shaking me awake. It couldn't be time to get up for school yet, could it?

I looked around and saw Kari crouching beside me. The tree's shadow had moved, and I was laying in the sun now. Oh, yeah. Derek had been here.

I sat up and looked around. I could hear people shouting and cars driving off from the parking lot. How long had I slept, and how had Kari known I was out here?

"Chloe, come on!" Kari urged, dragging on my hand. "I need to take the bus today, but that Derek person made me promise to wake you up. And how do you know _him_?"

I blushed as I stood up. "He's a friend of mine. . ."

"As in boyfriend?"

I blushed more and nodded quickly.

"Well, that sure explains a lot."

I stared at Kari, more than a little confused. What did that explain?

"Huh?"

She rolled her eyes at me. "Chloe, there had to have been come reason you turned Nate down when he asked you to the dance. I asked you if you were going and you said you were free that day, but you didn't know if you wanted to. Me and Beth and Miranda were really confused."

I didn't know what to think, let alone what to say. Fortunately I didn't need to; Kari just kept talking.

"What I don't understand is why you never told anyone, especially us. Come on Chloe, we're your friends, there isn't any reason for you to keep secrets like that. It's not like he's embarrassing or anything. A little grumpy maybe, but really Chloe, he is _hot_. I mean the muscles, and the hair, and he's so tall! Where did you meet him?"

I grinned. Hearing someone talking like that about Derek was something I would need to get used to. I wondered what her reaction would be when I answered her question.

"We met at Lyle House."

She stared. "Oh. . . Does that mean he has some sort of mental issue?"

I shook my head. "According to the doctors, he had some problems with anger management; he got in a fight with some kids, but his brother, Simon, told me that the whole fight had happened because some jerks were ganging up on Simon for no reason. He is kind of grumpy sometimes, but he's a lot nicer one you get to know him."

Kari breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I thought maybe he was some kind of abusive boyfriend or something. I was about ready to call the police. But why didn't you just tell Nate that, and why haven't I seen you with him before?"

I hadn't told anyone because I would have needed to explain things, at least pertly, and I was happy if people didn't ask to many questions. But I realized now that Kari and my other friends were confused and worried about me and Derek. I, blushed, ashamed. I had forgotten that I still had friends here. I tried to think of what to say without giving anything away.

"Well, first of all, he lives 300 miles away. It's kind of difficult to see each other when we're that far apart. The only reason he was here today was because his dad had to come into town. I didn't tell anyone because. . . Well. . . I don't like talking about it was like at Lyle House, and can you imagine the kind of rumors that would spread if the other kids knew about it? I was in that house, with the guys, and our own bedrooms, with limited adult supervision, for more than a week. And if they found out I had a boyfriend with me there? I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I'd like as few people to know about him as possible."

Kari nodded her understanding. "Well, that might be kind of difficult now. He was standing in the middle of the hall between periods, asking if anyone named Kari, Beth, or Miranda knew a Chloe. And, ya know, the guy is _huge._ Luckily, I was in that hall, but if you didn't want anyone to know about him, I think your luck just ran out. You know no one can keep a secret here."

I nodded, and we started to walk back out to the front of the school. "I guess it was bound to happen at some point, and it's probably better if we get this done with and out of the way. Is Nate that upset?"

Kari snorted. "Chloe, you really are blind. The guy has been so confused since you turned him down, and he keeps staring at you. We've all been worried, but I think he's the most concerned about you. You guys were really good friends before, and now you won't say two words to him. You look like you're sick, or about to go to sleep half the time, and we're all really worried." She was watching me with concern.

I felt terrible. I hadn't realized how worried Nate was about me, hadn't even considered if how I was acting was affecting them in any way. I had only been so focused on what had happened, I had forgotten that my other friends back here still cared. I tried to think of why I would have shut them out so much, but I realized I already knew the answer. Back here, back in this school, no one was a freak who raised animal and human bodies from the dead. They were normal, and I didn't feel like I fit in to this life anymore. But thinking about it now, I realized that I had tried to separate these two lives. The life I had come to accept, with the necromancers, werewolves, witches, and sorcerers. The life where the people who accepted me were. And then there was my school life, with the normal people around me who I didn't quiet relate to anymore. I tended to avoid them, to shut them out, which was exactly what I shouldn't have been doing. They were still my friends, even if they didn't know what I was. They didn't think I was enough of a freak to shun me, so why was I doing it to them. I had friends on both sides of my life.

All of a sudden I felt really warm and happy, just knowing that fact. I grinned at Kari.

"I have insomnia, which is why I've been so tired. The new pills I've had aren't working quite right. But don't worry, I'm feeling much, much better now."

She shot me a perplexed look. "Well, if you say so. But you might want to talk to Nate, explain about Derek." We were in the parking lot now, and I saw people giving me some weird looks. Nate was by his car, trying not to look at me. I smiled at Kari.

"I'll go talk to him right now."

She smiled. "Great. You actually do look a little better Chloe."

"I feel better. Thanks Kari. See you tomorrow!"

She headed for her older sister's car, waving, smiling, and shaking her head at me; still slightly confused, I knew. Meanwhile, I headed over to Nate. He was trying not to be really obvious as I walked up, and failing quite badly. I tried for a smile, and me tried to return one. I realized just how awkward things had gotten between us. I decided to be blunt.

"So you was Derek?"

He nodded. "Even if I hadn't seen him, I would have heard about him. So, you guys are . . . together?"

I nodded, blushing a little. "Just so you know," I said, "it's not your fault or anything; the way I've been acting, I mean. I've just been kind of tired, and a little stressed, and I'm. . ." I hesitated, "I'm just trying to get my life in order right now. It's nothing you did, it's me. I haven't been really aware of things recently. I'm sorry."

He looked at me for a few moments, and I looked right back at him. Then he nodded.

"Have you been having trouble with that Spanish stuff? I know irregular conjugations are hard for some people, but I'm pretty good at that stuff. Would you like to come over and study?" he blurted out hurriedly.

I hesitated. "As friends?"

He nodded firmly. "As friends."

I grinned up at him. "Then sure. You know, I can't understand half the stuff they say; all the little words keep getting me confused."

He nodded, smiling too. "Alright then. Are you ready now?"

"Just let me call Milos and Dad to let them know what's going on." I took out my phone and hurriedly punched in the numbers, and couldn't help noticing that I suddenly felt more light, happy, and alive then I had in a long time.

Oh, God, that was horrible. And I know it took me forever, but I really, really, hated this chapter, and it was so different from how I had wanted it to turn out, but honestly, you guys have been waiting so long I just had to do something about it, and I did some editing, and then I just said "Heck with it," and posted. The next and last chapter will be out sooner and will be much, much better than this chapter of horror, believe me. I hope. : P


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